Berklee Alumnus Nominated for Best Orchestrations Tony Award

Berklee alumnus Jamshied Sharifi ‘85 received his first Tony nomination today for Best Orchestrations for the musical The Band’s Visit. He studied film scoring, jazz piano, and composition while a student at the college. Sharifi also taught in the Music Production and Engineering and Ensemble departments between 1988 and 1992, before moving to New York to pursue his music.

Boston Conservatory at Berklee alumna Rachel Prather (B.F.A. '12, musical theater) stars as Julia in The Band’s Visit, which was also nominated for Best Musical. Tony-winning producers Ben Simpson (B.F.A. ’11 musical theater) and Joe Longthorne (B.F.A. ‘12 musical theater), both Conservatory alumni, produced the musical.

Additionally, various College and Conservatory alumni contributed to many of the year’s top Tony-nominated shows, including Frozen (Stephen Oremus B.M. ’92; Austin Lesch B.F.A. ‘04, musical theater, ensemble), My Fair Lady (Liz McCartney G.P.D. ’88, musical theater, ensemble; Matt Wall B.F.A. ’95, musical theater, ensemble), and Junk (Stephanie Umoh B.F.A. ’08, musical theater, ensemble).

If Sharifi were to win the Tony, it would be the third consecutive year a Berklee alumnus has won in the Best Orchestrations category; Alex Lacamoire B.M. ’95 took home the award in 2017 and 2016.

Best Orchestrations

The Band’s Visit: Jamshied Sharifi ‘85